UEL: Klopp unconcerned about Salah’s wayward finishing

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is not concerned about Mohamed Salah’s form in front of goal after another egregious miss in the Reds’ Europa League exit against Atalanta. 

The Premier League side started strongly, opening the scoring in the seventh minute through a Salah penalty, but could not add to their advantage. The inability to add to that first goal means the Reds exit European competition with a 3-1 aggregate loss to La Dea. 

It could have been different had Salah converted his chance with half-time approaching, but the forward’s chip went well wide despite Atalanta goalkeeper Juan Musso being in no man’s land. 

Despite exiting European competition, the Liverpool boss was not critical of the club’s leading marksman. 

“I am not particularly concerned. That’s what strikers do, that’s what happens to strikers, that’s how it is,” said Klopp after the Reds’ Europa League exit. “We have to go through this, he has to go through that. He is one of the most experienced players we have in the squad.

“We will go through that but that’s pretty much all. It’s not that Mo didn’t miss chances before in his life, that’s a part of the game.

“The penalty was super-convincing, a super penalty, then the next chance, that was obviously unlucky, but it is not the first time he missed a chance like that.

"I will not make a big story of it, what you make of it I obviously have no influence on obviously, but no, I am not particularly concerned.”

With Klopp’s men out of the FA Cup and Europa League, Liverpool’s only focus is the Premier League title run-in. 

Neither Manchester City nor Arsenal are in Europe, meaning all three sides competing for the top honour have no cup or continental distraction, even if Pep Guardiola’s men take on Chelsea in Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final. 

Liverpool's first of three consecutive away trips sees them travel to Fulham's Craven Cottage on Sunday, face Everton in the Merseyside derby on April 24 before visiting West Ham United on April 27.